1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the art of relieving pressures from high pressure fluids at high speeds without noise generation, cavitation, or erosion of the equipment housing the fluids.
2. Prior Art
In my prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,451,404 issued June 24, 1969; 3,513,864 issued May 26, 1970; and 3,514,074 issued May 26, 1970, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, there are described and claimed high energy loss fluid control devices especially useful in fluid transfer systems where a potentially destructive or noise generating fluid pressure differential exists to release the pressure without generating noise and without cavitation, erosion, and the like destructive characteristics. In these patents high pressure fluid is subdivided into a plurality of streams flowing through passageways having a long length to diameter ratio imparting high frictional resistance losses to the fluid flow. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,513,864 and 3,514,074 these passageways are provided by stacked annular disks having grooves and apertures defining tortuous passageways for the streams of fluid. The fluid flows radially from the outer to the inner periphery of the stacked disks or from the inner to the outer peripheries of the stack and a plug slidable in the central bore or aperture of the stack covers and uncovers the passageways so as to regulate flow through the device. Since the fluid pressures in the passageways tend to separate the disks, the stack must be axially loaded to resist separation of the disks accommodating leakage between the passageways.